A memory device including a plurality of first conductive lines arranged on a substrate and spaced apart from each other in a first direction parallel to a top surface of the substrate; a plurality of capping liners on sidewalls of each of the plurality of first conductive lines, the plurality of capping liners having top surfaces at a vertical level equal to top surfaces of the plurality of first conductive lines, and bottom surfaces at a vertical level higher than bottom surfaces of the plurality of first conductive lines; and an insulating layer on the substrate, the insulating layer filling spaces between the plurality of first conductive lines and covering sidewalls of the plurality of capping liners.

A semiconductor memory device including a device isolation layer in a substrate to define first and second active portions, a first contact on the substrate, first and second memory cells spaced apart from the first contact in a first direction by first and second distances, respectively, first and second conductive lines connected to the first and second memory cells, respectively, and extending in a second direction, and first and second selection transistors respectively connected to the first and second conductive lines. A length of a bottom surface of a first gate electrode of the first selection transistor overlapping the first active portion in a third direction may be different from a length of a bottom surface of a second gate electrode of the second selection transistor overlapping the second active portion in the third direction.

A memory array, a semiconductor chip and a method for forming the memory array are provided. The memory array includes first signal lines, second signal lines and memory cells. The first signal lines extend along a first direction. The second signal lines extend along a second direction over the first signal lines. The memory cells are defined at intersections of the first and second signal lines, and respectively include a resistance variable layer, a switching layer, an electrode layer and a carbon containing dielectric layer. The switching layer is overlapped with the resistance variable layer. The electrode layer lies between the resistance variable layer and the switching layer. The carbon containing layer laterally surrounds a stacking structure including the resistance variable layer, the switching layer and the electrode layer.

The present invention provides methods to sputter deposit films comprising alkali metal compounds. At least one target comprising one or more alkali metal compounds and at least one metallic component is sputtered to form one or more corresponding sputtered films. The at least one target has an atomic ratio of the alkali metal compound to the at least one metallic component in the range from 15:85 to 85:15. The sputtered film(s) incorporating such alkali metal compounds are incorporated into a precursor structure also comprising one or more chalcogenide precursor films. The precursor structure is heated in the presence of at least one chalcogen to form a chalcogenide semiconductor. The resultant chalcogenide semiconductor comprises up to 2 atomic percent of alkali metal content, wherein at least a major portion of the alkali metal content of the resultant chalcogenide semiconductor is derived from the sputtered film(s) incorporating the alkali metal compound(s). The chalcogenide semiconductors are useful in microelectronic devices, including solar cells.

A method for fabricating an electronic device including a semiconductor memory includes: forming a memory layer over a substrate; forming a memory element by selectively etching the memory layer, wherein forming the memory element includes forming an etching residue on a sidewall of the memory element, the etching residue including a first metal; and forming a spacer by implanting oxygen and a second metal into the etching residue, the spacer including a compound of the first metal-oxygen-the second metal, the second metal being different from the first metal.

A switch includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer disposed over the first electrode layer, and a selecting element layer interposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The selecting element layer includes a gas region in which a current flows or does not flow according to a voltage applied to the switch. When the current flows, the switch is in an on-state, and, when the current does not flow, the switch is in an off-state.

There is provided a three-terminal atomic switching device and a method of manufacturing the same, which belongs to the field of microelectronics manufacturing and memory technology. The three-terminal atomic switching device includes: a stack structure including a source terminal and a drain terminal; a vertical trench formed by etching the stack structure; an M.sub.8XY.sub.6 channel layer formed on an inner wall and a bottom of the vertical trench; and a control terminal formed on a surface of the M.sub.8XY.sub.6 channel layer, wherein the control terminal fills the vertical trench. The source terminal resistance and the drain terminal resistance are controlled by the control terminal. The invention is based on the three-terminal atomic switching device, and realizes high switching ratio characteristic, simple structure, easy integration, high density and low cost due to high non-linearity of the source-drain resistance with respect to the control terminal voltage, and thus can be used in a gated device in a cross-array structure to inhibit a crosstalk phenomenon caused by the leakage current. The three-terminal atomic switching device proposed by the invention is suitable for a planar stacked cross-array structure and a vertical cross-array structure, so as to realize high-density three-dimensional storage.

Systems, methods, and apparatus related to spike current suppression in a memory array. In one approach, a memory device includes a memory array having a cross-point memory architecture. The memory array has access lines (e.g., word lines and/or bit lines) configured to access memory cells of the memory array. Each access line is split into left and right portions. Each portion is electrically connected to a single via, which a driver uses to generate a voltage on the access line. To reduce electrical discharge associated with current spikes, a first resistor is located between the left portion and the via, and a second resistor is located between the right portion and the via.

A material belonging to the family of centrosymmetric Mott insulators is used as an active material in a resistively switched memory for storing data. The material is placed between two electrical electrodes, by virtue of which an electric field of a preset value is applied in order to form, by way of an electron avalanche effect, an elementary information cell that has at least two logic states.

An electronic device comprising a stack structure comprising one or more stacks of materials and a metal oxide material adjacent to the stacks of materials. The materials of the stacks comprise one or more chalcogenide materials. The metal oxide material comprises aluminum oxide, aluminum silicate, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, zirconium oxide, zirconium silicate, or a combination thereof and the metal oxide material extends continuously from an upper portion of the one or more stacks of materials to a lower portion of the one or more stacks of materials. Additional electronic devices are disclosed, as are related systems and methods of forming an electronic device.